Late Surge Lifts Beavers Over Rebels
LAS VEGAS – The Oregon State softball team scored three runs in the top of the seventh inning, on its way to a 10-7 victory over UNLV Sunday afternoon in Las Vegas.
The Beavers tallied eight runs in the final three frames to overcome an early deficit. The late surge was highlighted by a three-run sixth-inning home run from junior CJ Chirichigno. She finished the day 5-for-5, setting a new school record for hits in a game. She also tallied five RBIs and a double in the contest.
As a team, Oregon State recorded 15 hits, its best total this season. Junior Ya Garcia ended the day 3-for-5 with two doubles, three runs and an RBI. Fellow junior Dani Gilmore tied a school record with four runs, and moved into a tie with Kelly Peterson for second on Oregon State’s career walks list, as she tallied two on the afternoon to give her 96 in her career.
Junior Kori Nishitomi went 2-for-5 with a run, recording her 20th multi-hit game of the season. Freshman Kiki Pepi went 2-for-4 with an RBI, while fellow freshman Alexis Gonzalez finished with a hit and two RBIs.
Oregon State jumped on top to start the game, as the Beavers scored a pair in the top of the first. Garcia singled to open the frame, before Gilmore was hit by a pitch. Chirichigno proceeded to bring both of them home with a double to left. UNLV bounced back in the third inning, plating three on a bases-loaded double to take the lead. The Rebels proceeded to add another run in the fourth with a solo home run to stretch the advantage to two.
The Beavers tied things up with a fifth-inning rally. Gilmore started thing off with a walk, before Chirichigno singled. Freshman Kylie Padilla then reached on fielder’s choice, before senior Hannah Bouska hit a hard grounder and Gilmore scored on an error by the shortstop. Pepi singled in the next at-bat, plating Padilla to level the score. The Rebels again responded, however, with a two-run homer to retake the lead 6-4.
Oregon State took the lead again in the sixth inning, on Chirichigno’s three-run shot. The inning began with a double from Garcia, before Gilmore was hit by a pitch. Chirichigno then worked her way through a hard-fought at-bat, going yard on the 11th pitch she saw to put the Beavers ahead 7-6. The advantage was short-lived, however, as the Rebels evened the score with a run in the bottom of the sixth.
Oregon State was relentless, though, as the Beavers put together a seventh-inning rally to take the victory. With two outs, Nishitomi and Garcia came through with back-to-back doubles to give the Beavers the lead. Oregon State then added some insurance, as Gilmore walked, before Gonzalez singled to bring both runners home, giving the Beavers the win by three runs.
The Beavers will return to action with a three-game series at Stanford, beginning on Thursday.